


Adventures in Pet Watching

by Chrystie, kate882



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Fluff, M/M, that's it it's just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-29 02:33:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17799485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrystie/pseuds/Chrystie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate882/pseuds/kate882
Summary: Jason gets roped into cat sitting for his neighbors, and calls Dick for help.





	Adventures in Pet Watching

“So, remember how you said that since we’re together I need to get better about asking you for help when I need it?” Was the first thing Jason greeted him with when Dick answered the phone.

“Is it life threatening?” Because that was always the most important detail when it came to the two of them.

“Probably not, but I still want the help.”

“What did you do?” Dick sighed. Whether it was relief or exasperation, he couldn’t tell.

“Why does it have to be something I-ow! What the fuck?” Jason grumbled something Dick couldn’t pick up. “Can you just come over? I’m at the safe house you like.”

“I’m coming, try not to set anything on fire before I get there.” Dick was already on his bike.

He expected a lot of things walking into the apartment. Being meowed at by a couple of kittens wasn’t in any of those expectations. And neither was one of them starting to climb up his pants leg.

“Don’t tell Damian. My neighbors will never get their cats back,” Jason said, quickly shutting the door before a small white kitten with gray ears and paws could escape and getting loud meows from it for his efforts.

“They’re so cute,” Dick cooed, plucking the one that was making it’s way up his pants to hold it. “I thought your neighbors only had one cat.”

“She had sexual relations with another cat, and now they have many cats. And they sent their fucking kid to ask me to cat sit. She called me Mr. Todd, and didn’t bother to tell me there was now more than one cat. And I’m overwhelmed,” he explained to Dick as a black kitten started playing with his shoe laces.

“This is the cutest thing I’m ever going to see,” Dick laughed, the kitten in his hand meowing when the movement startled it.

“Are you going to help me or not?”

“Did you need help untangling from the kittens or with the cats in general?” Because Dick was more inclined to help with one than the other.

“In general. I’m not experienced with pets, and there’s too many of them. I haven’t even seen their mom since they were brought here; clearly she can’t even deal with them and has passed them off to me.”

“They just want some love.” Dick just sat down in the middle of them and let them climb all over him, “Did you guys want milk? Food? Mom?” That was really all the same thing.

“There are _seven_ of them, Dick. Excuse me for being a little overwhelmed,” Jason muttered, and Dick did a headcount of the ones crawling on him. So he had three more to meet. He could maybe see why Jason wanted some help.

“Okay I get it and I’ll help. I can distract them if you want to find their mom. They probably are hungry.”

“I’ll try. She doesn’t like me much,” he told Dick, but wandered off in search of the cat, a gray kitten climbing off of Dick’s lap to trail after him.

“I think that one's imprinted on you.” Dick managed to find a string off the ground and started to wave it around to attract some of the kittens. It got one tabby out from under the couch.

“If any of them have imprinted on me I think it’s the one that keeps crawling into my jacket,” Jason told him, pulling a calico out of the pocket of his hoodie.

“This is the cutest day of my life.” Dick just wanted the day recorded but he knew Jason wouldn’t agree to that.

“Cutest two days then. The family doesn’t get back until late tomorrow,” Jason told him, setting the calico down, only for it to start crying and pawing at his leg pitifully.

“I think that one wants to stay with you.” Dick was wondering if he could ask if they could keep that one.

“I think she just likes my jacket.” But Jason still sighed and picked the kitten up, letting her crawl back into his pocket, before disappearing into his room to try and find the mother.

Dick played with the kittens, letting them chase after the string while absently petting one. He was pretty sure one was also trying to crawl up his pant leg, but he couldn’t be too upset at it when it was so cute.

Jason came back a good ten minutes later with a cat that looked rather displeased to have been found if the flattened ears and flicking tail were anything to go by. “I don’t know how, but she got into my sock drawer, and that’s where she’s been hiding.” He set her down and instantly three of the kittens Dick had been playing with abandoned him to run to her.

“Yup, missed their mom. I’d say we probably have maybe ten minutes before she tries to abandon us again?”

“Maybe less.”

Dick finally got to see the last of the kittens when another black one shyly emerged from under the couch to approach its mother, eyeing Dick and Jason uncertainly.

“You think we can keep one?” Dick asked hopefully as he watched them.

“I don’t know what the family is planning to do with them. They don’t seem old enough to take away from their mother yet either.”

“I’m gonna hold out for hope that we can keep one.”

“You keep saying ‘we’, but I get the feeling that means the cat would have to stay with me.” Jason sat down and the white and gray kitten immediately went for his hand with claws and teeth. “I admire the fighting spirit, but why didn’t it do this to you?”

“Personal vendetta against your hand?” Though he would help to stop that. He loved Jason’s hands too much to let them go injured. “Do you have anything else it can chew on?”

“Yeah, totally, cat toys are in the kitchen. This little dude just doesn’t care for those,” Jason told him, trying to lift his hand away, but the cat just clung tighter to his hand and lifted with it.

Dick scooted over, slightly disturbing the cat that had crawled into his lap after it was done with its mom, and gently tried to pry the cat from Jason’s hand. “C’mon buddy, I like him too but he needs those.”

“He’s been doing that all morning. It doesn’t hurt that much,” Jason shrugged as Dick finally detached the cat from him, the calico in his pocket finally making its way out to go see it’s mom.

“Sorry babe, but I need your hands.” Dick set the cat down and threw the string at him to let him wrestle with.

The cat did not look impressed, but Jason moved his hand out of reach too quickly so it wandered over to its mother instead.

Dick kept scooting over to Jason until their sides were pressed together and the cat in his lap couldn’t take the movement anymore and decided to abandon him for the couch. “I don’t think you’re doing so bad with them.”

“You say that now when you’re here to divide their attention. I had six cats on me before you opened the door.” Jason scooped up the black kitten trying to sneak back towards the couch, and it let out a startled meow. “This is the only one that didn’t see me as a viable bed option.’

“I think that one’s just shy.” He gave its head a little scratch which it didn’t look like he enjoyed it but didn’t nudge him away.

“He’s the smallest, so I think that might have something to do with the shy personality.”

“Not that he’s super shy but this one reminds me a little of Timmy.”

“Nah, c’mon Damian’s the smallest,” Jason laughed. And that was apparently too much for the kitten, because it darted out of of his hands and back under the couch.

“Jay, I have a problem. I love all of them.” Dick was tempted to just lay down and be climbed all over.

“Well we aren’t keeping seven cats. I’m not even sold on one yet,” Jason answered firmly.

Dick picked one up, holding it just under his chin and gave Jason his sad eyes. “But we all love you so much.”

“That one doesn’t,” he pointed vaguely at the couch. “And that one doesn’t like my hands too much for some reason.” He just nodded at the white and gray kitten, deciding not to risk pointing.

“But what about that one?” Dick pointed at the calico trying to crawl back into Jason’s pocket, seemingly done with eating.

“I really think she just likes my jacket,” he shrugged, holding the pocket open wider for her so she could crawl in easier.

“C’mon, Jay. I wanna be a catdad with you.”

“Of seven cats? Absolutely not. Besides, I still don’t know what my neighbors plan to do with them. They might already have plans for homes.”

Dick frowned down at the white cat he was holding. “You think I’d be a good catdad, right?” The cat meowed so Dick took that as a yes. He gave it a little scratch on the head before letting it climb up to his shoulder.

The mom finally seemed to decide she’d had enough and got up to quickly leave the room again to hide, the kittens that had been hanging around her moving to Jason, who was closest.

Dick moved closer, hoping to divide up their attention and it kind of worked, some of them climbing over Jason to get to Dick. “I think they’ve just realized that you’re just comfortable to be around, well except for that one,” he nodded to the couch.

“He just needs some time to get used to suddenly being in a different environment I think.”

They let the cats walk around and over them, petting one every once in a while before the cats started to find spots for them to nap, one of them deciding the space between Dick and Jason’s laps was ideal. “Feeling better about the kittens now?”

“It’s easier with you here,” Jason agreed. The kitten under the couch didn’t quite venture out but Dick could see eyes peering at them, so maybe Jason was right that it would come around with time.

* * *

Dick was sad to see the kittens go. He’d really bonded with a few of them and he was sure Jason had too. He leaned against Jason as his neighbours came to pick the kittens up, carrying a few at a time back to their apartment.

“I still wanna be a catdad, Jay.”

“Pick _one,_ and ask them if they’d be willing to give it to us when it can leave its mother,” Jason answered with a sigh. “Actually, you know what, two. So they can entertain each other when we have to go on missions.”

“Yes!” Dick cheered pressing a kiss to Jason’s cheek. “I love you!” He called, running out the door to ask the neighbours. He already knew which two he wanted.

“So I’m guessing we have two cats now,” Jason raised an eyebrow when Dick came back grinning. “Do I get to know which ones?”

“You don’t want it to be a surprise which children are going to be ours?”

Jason didn’t look impressed. “You know I’m not a fan of surprises.”

“Alright alright. I got the calico and the shy black one. We should give them names.”

“And did you have any ideas for those names?”

“I’m guessing you’re not going to let me name the black one Timmy.” Dick didn’t think Tim would let him name the cat Timmy either.

Jason seemed to be on the same wavelength because he rolled his eyes. “If you could get Timmers to agree to you naming a small timid kitten after him, then yes. I’d let you do that.”

“Well do you have any suggestions?”

“Prince of Darkness and Jacket Thief?” Jason suggested sarcastically.

“Prince and Thief, that’s cute,” Dick mused.

“Those weren’t real suggestions,” Jason protested.

“But the more I think about it the more I like it.”

“Of course you do,” Jason rolled his eyes but relented. “Fine, they have stupid names then.”

“It’s cute,” Dick corrected, going over to give him a kiss. “You’re the best.”

“I’m aware,” Jason said, but smiled and kissed him back.


End file.
